Friend In Me
by Ghost of the Dawn
Summary: It's now time for a teenage Bonnie to decide which toys to keep and which are going to Sunnyside. One of the donated toys is unwilling to leave his home.


Author's Notes: I had this plot bunny after seeing the third movie in theaters. I quickly wrote it all in one day to get it to leave me alone. It's been sitting on my computer ever since. I thought it was about time I shared it. Just a random one shot. I hope you enjoy.

Friend in Me

Bonnie's mother had called her twice before when she finally noticed her cell phone was ringing. She stopped strumming her guitar and lifted off the headphones, turning down the music that was blaring out of them.

"Yeah, mom?" she said as she picked up the phone.

"Bonnie," her mother's voice replied. "I called you three times. Why didn't you pick up the phone?"

Bonnie put down her guitar and wandered around her room, picking at her nails. "Sorry Mom, I had my head phones on. When are you coming home?"

"Well Jenny went home sick today, so I won't be back until all the kids are picked up and everything's cleaned. So we won't have dinner until late. Is that okay?"

Bonnie started digging around for her purse through the mess of a hurricane she called a bedroom. She was never good at keeping things tidy. "Yeah, that's fine. Shawn wanted to hang out tonight. I thought I'd just go get a bite to eat with him."

"Okay Honey. Just remember it's a school night so be back by 10:30."

Bonnie sighed inwardly. As drasticly rebellious she looked on the outside, she had never once been late for curfew. Yet her mother still acted like she forgot it all the time.  
"Right, Mom. I'll be home."

"Okay, Bonnie. And the reason I was calling is have you ever had a chance to go through your old toys yet? I've been asking you to do it for weeks."

Bonnie glanced towards her closet. Dirty clothes were strewn on the floor, preventing it from closing properly. "No Mom, not yet."

"Can you do it on your way out? The daycare is right on the way to Shawn's. I can give you some money when you drop them off."

Bonnie pursed her lips in consideration. Her mother really knew how to work her. The promise of extra spending cash beat out teenage laziness.

"Okay, mom. I'll see you then."

"Love you, Honey."

"Love you, too."

Bonnie hung up, shoving her cell in her pocket. She waded through the clutter and opened the closet door wide, inspecting the contents. Other than to grab a clean shirt in the morning, she hardly stepped into the walk in closet. In the front hung her clothes. In the back were shelves piled with all sorts of odds and ends from books to DVDs, to her old childhood toys and random presents she had received over the years. Some of those things in the back had not seen the light of day for years. This might be a bigger chore than she thought.

She went out to the hall for a few minutes before returning with a large shopping bag from some bath store. It should be big enough. Then she went back to the closet and flipped on the light. Stepping inside, past all the shoes scattered on the floor, she began to rummage through the shelves, looking for suitable items she was willing to part with.

Bonnie was a horrible pack rat. Everything seemed to have sentimental value to her, even when she was a kid. As soon as she started growing too old for her toys her mother, who helped run the Sunnyside Daycare, began to pester her to donate her toys since she wasn't playing with them as often. But Bonnie had been stubborn and refused to give up hardly anything. She liked keeping her things. Every time her mother asked her, the answer was the same. Finally, she stopped asking altogether and just let Bonnie keep them as long as she wanted.

Now that Bonnie had turned sixteen and her interests were now cars and music, her mother tried again. This time, Bonnie had to admit that the children at the daycare would get more out of her old toys than she would at this age. There would be no playing with them again for her. So she had promised her mom she would eventually go through all the toys in her closet and weed out at least the bare minimum of her collection. She had been procrastinating this process for a while; but it looked like today would be the day.

Each shelve was gone over in turn. Her mother had already taken in her old reading books and learning activities when she was much younger. But she found some crayon boxes and colored pencils still in great shape and threw them in the bag. Her old costume props: wings, wands, and hats went in as well. Then she arrived at her main target.

There was a large cardboard box full of nothing but old toys. The lid flaps had been ripped off and several parts stuck out high above the rim. It was stuffed to capacity with toys. As Bonnie looked at it, she had to agree it was time to get rid of a few. She picked up the entire box and dumped the contents on her bed, rifling through it.

Let's see... There were pieces of Mr and Mrs Potato Head everywhere. Bonnie collected them all up and placed each accessory with the correct head. She was definitely too old for a toy like that, but little kids should get a kick out of them. Into the bag they went. So did the triplet alien squeak toys. The little peas in the pod, very cute, but not for her any more.

All her dinosaurs went in. Kids loved dinosaurs.

The piggy bank had a whole $2.54 inside him. Score! After cleaning him out, Bonnie decided she had no need for a piggy bank any more and he would be donated as well.

Next, Bonnie grabbed Dolly. She immediately remembered how Dolly always seemed to end up the villain in all her playtime fantasies. Why was that exactly? She was a cute doll. Did she not like her when she was little? Bonnie couldn't remember. She was about to throw Dolly in the donation bag when she took another look at her.

Across the room, hung a mirror on the wall. Bonnie held up Dolly next to her and looked at both their reflections in the mirror. They had the same hair. Well, Bonnie's wasn't quite that purple. Her mom totally flipped out when she had sneaked out to the salon to cut and dye it. How funny that this was the idea she had in mind all along.

Dolly went on the bed. Bonnie didn't feel like parting with her yet.

She found her old unicorn next. She couldn't remember what she named him any more. He looked like he had been handled a lot over the years. But kids at the daycare wouldn't care. He was still soft and cute.

Her stuffed Totoro was practically covering everything else. His fur was a little matted, but he still looked pretty nice. Plus he was still a good hugging size. Bonnie checked just to make sure. Yes, still good for hugging. He went on her pillow with Dolly.

The slinky dog was all tangled in old jump ropes and ribbons. She untangled him and straightened his springs as best she could before looking him over. She always liked his face. It was silly and cute; and his little springy tail. But she felt herself too old for him now. He was dog who needed younger children to play with.

Into the bag he went, as did several other trinkets, figurines and cheap, plastic happy meal toys she had collected over the years. She found her little hedgehog, Mr, Pricklepants, she recalled naming him. And her little clown doll. It was about time he went back to his home in Sunnyside. They both went into the bag.

There were only a few toys left on the bed now. Bonnie looked over the sprawled forms of Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye. She was keeping them. These toys were old, real old. Probably really hard to find. Maybe worth money, even in their condition. Plus, she had to admit as she picked up Woody and inspected him, they were just cool to her. She didn't know why she had been keeping them in the box.

Looking up, Bonnie saw the old shelf above her bed she never used. She hastily wiped the dust off with her hand and set the three old cowboy toys on top if it.

She stood back and inspected them. Yeah, she liked them up there.

The last thing on her bed was some old space toy she got from the neighbor kid when he moved out. He had given her quite a few of his old toys including her beloved cowboy collection. They had all been fun to play with. But this Buzz Lightyear figure, she didn't care for too much. Even when she was little, thought he was neat at first with his lights and moving parts, but she lost interest in him quickly. A boy's action figure just wasn't her thing.

Even now, Buzz Lightyears would go for only a couple of bucks on Ebay. They were everywhere. She could get herself one that wasn't all scuffed up and missing his stickers if she wanted. But she didn't really want him at all. He went in the donation bag without a second thought.

Bonnie's cell phone ran and she dug it out of her pocket to answer it. It was Shawn, wondering if she was going to come get him or what.

"Yeah, I'm on my way," Bonnie replied as she picked up the bag. "I gotta stop by Mom's work to get some money and then I'll be at your house."

As Bonnie walked out the door, cell phone at her ear, Jessie came alive on the shelf.

"No," she whispered as she saw the bag disappear out the bedroom door. "No, Buzz!"

Woody was quick to clamp a hand over her mouth and hold her back before she fell off the shelf.

"Jessie, it's okay. It will be okay," he said, trying to soothe her.

She jerked in his grip and broke free, jumping from the shelf to the desk. She scrambled through the clutter as she heard Bonnie leave through the front door. Helplessly, Jessie watched out the window as the bag that contained Buzz and her friends was loaded into the back seat of a beat up old junk heap of a car and Bonnie got in.

Jessie could hardly believe it. With Bonnie getting older, hey all knew a day like this would be coming, but it went so fast. They had no warning. Jessie fought back a sob as she watched the car drive away. She didn't have any time to say good-bye.

* * *

In the back seat, the bag of toys were jostled around as Bonnie navigated the streets.

"The kid drives like a maniac," Hamm said, laying upside down in the pile, his feet in the air. "How did she manage to get her license?"

"That's your biggest concern?" Rex demanded. He didn't have to worry about keeping his voice hushed with the radio cranked on high. "Bonnie just threw all of us out!"

"Not thrown out," Trixie corrected. "We're just getting donated. We'll be okay." She sighed. "I'm going to miss having the internet though. I didn't get a chance to tell all my contacts I'll be AFK permanently."

"At least we're all going together," Slinky said. "That's what Woody would say if he was here."

"Well, he's not, is he?" Mr. Potato Head grouched. "First he was Andy's favorite, then Bonnie's. That guy gets all the luck. And now he even gets a cushy spot on a new shelf while we get second handed."

"Now dear," Mrs. Potato Head tried to soothe. "We're not going to a bad place. Sunnyside is different now."

"Yeah," Buttercup agreed. "There's nothing wrong with moving to Sunnyside. Bonnie's grown up. It's time for us to make some new children happy. The kids will play with us there and we won't be in that dark closet any more."

This was not a new topic for any of the toys. With Bonnie now a teenager and her mother working at Sunnyside, it was the logical expectation that they would all be ending up at the day care when Bonnie got too old for them. Though the toys would be experiencing greater wear and tear, they would also be together which was a better outcome than a yard sale.

"That's right," Mrs. Potato Head agreed. "We'll all be together as a family. And I'm sure in a few more years, Bonnie will donate the rest of them and we'll see Woody and Dolly and the others again. Right, Buzz?"

Buzz was already trying to climb over the other toys and out of the bag. "I'm going back home."

"What?" Mr. Potato Head barked. "Are you crazy? You can't just go back to the house! Bonnie put you in this bag! It's not your choice!"

Buzz paused in his escape to look at the other toys. "I'm not going anywhere without Jessie. Or Woody. I'm going back home."

"Don't do it Buzz," Slinky said. "What if you go back and the next time Bonnie sees you she doesn't bring you back to Sunnyside. What if you go in a yard sale or the trash?"

Buzz's expression remained firm. "You didn't see her face, Slink. Bonnie isn't going to ever give them away. Especially not to Sunnyside. And I'm not going anywhere Jesse is not. Even if I'm thrown away trying, I'm going back home to her."

"Ooh, that's so romantic!" Mrs. Potato Head swooned.

"Sir, you have the heart of a true poet inside you," Mr. Pricklepants commended.  
"So anyone want to help me out?" Buzz asked.

Buttercup righted himself and showed the space ranger his back. "Hop on up."

Buzz climbed up the unicorn, up his neck and then his head to where he could peer out of the top of the bag.

"Be careful, Buzz," Rex called. "I hope to see you again."

Buzz smiled down at him, nodding.

"Yeah well," Mr. Potato Head admitted. "If we don't see you again, it's been a good ride, huh?"

Buzz saluted them. "It was a pleasure serving with you all." With that, he jumped out of the bag and was gone from their sight.

He landed on the back seat of the car and then slid down to the floor. The car slowed to a stop and Buzz scrambled under the passenger seat as Bonnie got out and grabbed the bag. Buzz caught one last glimpse of his friends before Bonnie shut the door behind her and walked up to the Sunnyside day care.

She was gone only a few minutes before getting back in the car and driving off again. Buzz made himself comfortable under the passenger seat. This would be easy. He could just say under there the rest of the afternoon. Then, when Bonnie drove back home, he would sneak into her purse and be back in her bedroom by tonight. The rest he would figure out once he got back home.

* * *

The night went normal for Bonnie. She went to pick up her friend Shawn, a tall, skinny boy with similar tastes in clothes and music. They met up with some other friends for burgers and then went to see a movie. All the while, no one was aware of the space toy glowing in the dark beneath the seat.

Buzz took extra precautions that his glow wouldn't give his position away as it got dark outside.  
Finally, Bonnie's night was drawing to a close as her curfew came closer. She dropped Shawn off at his house and told him she would see him tomorrow before driving away. Buzz began to get in position. He had to get in her purse without being seen before she got home. He had to wait while she was distracted and really into her music or his glow-in-the-dark paint would give him away. He needed to wait until they got closer to the city with the bright lights. Where Bonnie was driving at the moment was pretty dark out.

Shawn lived outside of the main part of town. The area where his parents built their house would almost be considered country compared to city living. The roadways were lined with trees on either side and hardly any road lights. By 10 o'clock, it was as dark as could be outside with very little traffic. But Bonnie had driven these roads several times before. She was confident she could navigate her way back to town without any problems.

Bonnie was drumming the steering wheel and jamming out to her radio as happy as could be. Buzz peered out from under the seat to watch her. She turned out quite different than Andy did, but she was still a good kid. Even though he knew he was hardly her favorite toy. He couldn't fault her for that. He was a boy's toy after all. He had an appeal to a certain gender and age. He couldn't expect a teenage girl who was into make up, music and clothes to want to keep him. He hoped she would forgive him if she ever happened to find him hiding in her room.

Bonnie was oblivious to the toy on the floor of the car. Her favorite song was on and she was hardly even paying attention to the road as she got swept up in the music. Suddenly, her headlights caught an adult, female deer as she jetted across the road.

Bonnie let out a startled half cry as she slammed on her breaks and spun the wheel. She had been going faster than she thought, listening to her fast music. The car spun. Bonnie spun the wheel the other way to compensate, but in her panic, she spun too hard and the car flipped sideways. Bonnie hit her head on the window, glass shattering everywhere. The car rolled off the side of the road, down an embankment and landed on its side against two trees.

Buzz had scrambled under the seat the second the car began spinning out of control. He gripped the metal of the frame with arms and legs as his whole world flipped over itself. The car fell to a halt with a sickening crunch. Buzz found himself up high now, with the car on its side and the passenger seat on top.

Far below him was the driver's side, and Bonnie. She was still strapped in her seat belt, but in the dim light, Buzz didn't see any movement.

"Bonnie."

Buzz climbed over to the dash board and slid down to the other side of the car. The motor had stopped running, but the radio was still blaring. The windshield was a network of spiderwebs and the driver's side window was completely gone. Bonnie's head was laying in the dirt, leaves and broken glass.

The only light available was Buzz's own luminescence. He had to get right next to her to assess her injuries. Her face was covered in scrapes. The left side had glass embedded in the skin and was bleeding freely. Her left arm didn't look quite right and there was more blood leaking over the door, coming from a large cut in that same arm. Buzz didn't know much about humans and their blood and bones, but he knew serious injuries when he saw them.

"I've got to do something. I've got to do something," he repeated to himself. "Come on, Buzz, what should I do? They didn't cover this at the academy. She needs help. I've got to get help."

He looked around and quickly realized his options were limited. Several of the other windows were cracked, but the only one fully shattered was the one pressed flat against the ground. Buzz checked all around for an exit, but he realized there wasn't too much he could do if he did get out. It wasn't as if he could flag down help. He was really quite useless. The only thing he had hopes of doing was keeping Bonnie comfortable and keeping her alive until help found her.

Buzz climbed back over the seats and the motionless girl, looking around the car for something he could use. He recalled a sweater in the back seat earlier. It was still there, flung on the ground from the crash. Slowly, Buzz dragged it to the front and shoved it as best he could under Bonnie's bleeding arm. He then pulled it around and tied it as tightly as a toy his size could. Hopefully that would help with the bleeding.

Just as he was trying to figure out what else to do, he thought he heard a noise over the radio. Buzz popped his head up and tried to listen. The radio was so loud. He quickly turned it down and just barely caught the tail end of Bonnie's cell phone ringing.

"The phone!" Buzz jumped in the back, searching in the dark. Usually, the phone screen lit up upon an incoming call, but Buzz hadn't seen anything, just heard it. "Come on, come one, where are you?" he said aloud as he searched. "Ring again. Come on!"

As if answering his plea, he heard the phone again. But Buzz still couldn't see it. He followed the sound until he tripped over something black. Bonnie's purse. Buzz fumbled with the zipper, trying to get it open. Once there was a large enough hole, he scrambled inside, once again catching the phone at the tail end of the rings before the caller went to voice mail.

Buzz flipped open the phone and looked at the buttons. He had never done this before, but there was a first time for everything. He needed to be brave, he was doing this for Bonnie. He reached out his hand and pushed the buttons 9-1-1.

"911," came a woman's voice on the other end. "This is emergency operator ID number 2361. What is the nature of your emergency?"

"There has been a traffic accident," Buzz reported. "The driver is injured and requires immediate medical attention. Please send a transport right away."

"I'm sorry, sir? Can you please speak up? I can barely hear you."

"I said there's been an accident! This girl needs help!" Buzz yelled as loud as he could.  
"Yes, sir," there was the sound of typing on the other end. "May I have the location of the accident please?"

Buzz paused. "Location?"

"Yes, sir. We'll send an ambulance right away. Where is the accident located?"

"I'm, um, I'm not sure where we are. It's..."

"On the record of the cell phone I have your home address as-"

Buzz shut the phone in frustration. The accident wasn't anywhere near Bonnie's house and he no way of telling the operator his location. He had no idea where they were. It would be useless to try and give directions. He had to think of something else.

As Buzz backed out of the purse, pulling the cell phone with him, he heard Bonnie shift and moan in the front seat. He dropped the phone and scrambled up to look over and see if she was awake. Bonnie had only moved slightly. She was still unresponsive. It gave Buzz an idea.

He dropped back down to the floor and tossed the phone over to the front. Bonnie stirred a bit when it landed near her head. Buzz landed next to it, flipping open the phone. He went through the call history to the last two calls Bonnie missed: from her mother. Buzz hit the call back option and slid the phone against the side of her head.

"Bonnie," he called, slapping the side of her face. "Bonnie, you have to wake up. This is important."

Bonnie's eyes slowly opened, but they were unfocused on Buzz's glow.

"Come on, space cadet," Buzz encouraged. "You have to focus."

"...nuh?" was her best response.

Buzz shoved the phone closer to her ear as the phone stopped ringing and Bonnie's mother was heard on the line.

"Hello? Bonnie?"

"M..mom?" she asked weakly.

"Ugh! I've been trying to call you. Where are you? It's past your curfew."

"Uh... where...?" Bonnie looked around in the darkness, trying to figure out where she was and what happened.

"Tell her you went to take Shawn home," a voice said to her.

"I was taking Shawn home," Bonnie repeated.

"On the way back, you crashed. Do you remember? You need to tell her where you are."  
Bonnie shuttered with a small sob. "I crashed the car. I was driving home from Shawn's house. I'm.. I think I'm off the road somewhere."

"Oh dear! Bonnie! Are you okay, baby?"

The tears were falling now. Her arm hurt so bad and she was scared. "Mom, I'm hurt. I need help."

* * *

On her new shelf, Jessie could do nothing but brood. It was all she did all day. First it was anger. Anger at Bonnie for splitting them up. Anger at Buzz for not magically coming back. Anger at Woody for not doing anything about it. Anger at herself for the same reason.

Then she settled into silent sadness, knowing it wasn't really anyone's fault. Now she sat with her legs dangling off the shelf, looking out the window at the moon. Woody had decided to give her some space while she got over all her feelings. But now, watching her sit with Bullseye's head in her lap, he couldn't let her stay like that any longer.

"Hey," he said as he sat down next to her. "It will be okay, Jessie, you'll see."

"I know," she said softly, anticipating what he was going to say. "We're still together and we have each other. And the others have each other, too and they'll be fine. But Buzz... I-"

"I know," Woody said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know exactly what you're going through, Jess. It's okay to be sad. And who knows, maybe we'll all see each other again, someday."

Jessie's response was cut off as Bonnie's mother walked up the hall. She paused in the doorway as her cell rang and the toys froze.

"Hello? Bonnie?... Ugh! I've been trying to call you. Where are you? It's past your curfew." She could hardly hide the irritation in her voice. It instantly went away as surprise and fear covered her face. "Oh dear! Bonnie! Are you okay, baby?"

The toys had a perfect view of her mother's face going completely white.

"Sit tight, Honey. I'm on my way. Don't move. I'm calling you an ambulance, baby. I'll be there as soon as I can."

She didn't even turn off the lights as she grabbed her keys and rushed out the door. Woody and Jessie both jumped off the shelf onto the desk to watch the car speed away.

"Did you hear all of that?" Dolly's voice came from the bed. "An ambulance! Bonnie's hurt somewhere! I hope she'll be okay."

Jessie didn't say anything. All she did was stare out the window and regret everything bad she ever thought about such a sweet girl.

* * *

Bonnie was tired, so very tired. She just wanted to sleep, just forget all the pain and pass out into blissful nothingness. But something wouldn't let her. A voice kept disturbing her over and over every time she drifted off. Someone kept making her stay conscious.

"Bonnie," the insistent voice told her as she faded out again. "Stay awake, cadet. Don't give up now."

Bonnie's eyes shot open again. She looked around, gaze unfocused. No one was in the car with her. She closed her eyes as the fatigue set in once more.

"Bonnie, stay awake!"

She opened her eyes, still no one there.

"Who... who is it?" she asked weakly.

"Just stay awake, Bonnie. Stay with me. Assistance will arrive shortly."

This time she couldn't. Bonnie just couldn't stay conscious. She drifted off, even as she heard the voice, small but distinctly male, call her name.

The next time she found consciousness was when a bright light was shone right into her eyes. There were people's voices all around as arms gently lifted her out of the car and onto a stretcher. One of the paramedics noticed the sweater tied around her arm. He looked at it quizzically before wrapping the rest of it around her injury and pulling her stretcher towards the ambulance where he could get a better look. Bonnie's mother was now by her side, crying and holding her uninjured hand. Bonnie squeezed back weakly, happy to be found.

From the wreckage of the car, Buzz watched from a safe hiding spot as Bonnie was lifted to safety. She would be okay now. His job was done.

* * *

No one came back to the house all that night. The toys waited and waited for that familiar car to pull into the drive way. Sometime around noon, they heard the garage door open. Everyone quickly got into their positions as voices sounded in the house. Finally, the voices got closer and Bonnie walked into her room with her mother at her side. Bonnie's arm was in a sling and she had bandages over one side of her face.

"Now you lay down, dear, and take it easy, okay?" her mother was saying. "Be careful."

"Mom, it's okay. I can get on my own bed." Bonnie pulled away as her mother tried to help her. "It's just a broken arm. I can move around just fine."

"Okay, well you just take it easy, young lady, okay? I'm going to take a nap, but don't hesitate to call if you need anything."

Bonnie eased herself onto the bed, removing Dolly before she sat on her. "Am I going to get my cell phone back?"

Her mother helped her get situated so that Bonnie was lying down. "Your dad is going to drop by after work and get all your belongings out of the car. I'll tell him to look out for it."  
"I hope they didn't just leave it in the woods."

"Don't worry about it, sweetie," her mother said as she kissed her forehead. "We'll take care of it, you just rest."

She turned to go. Bonnie sat up on her good arm.

"Hey... Mom?"

She paused. "Yeah, Honey?"

"They... never found that guy? Who helped me?"

Her mother turned around. "Bonnie, we've been over this. I really don't think anyone was there. You were the one who called me and the paramedics didn't find anyone else in the car with you. You were delirious, Honey. You thought you heard things that weren't there."

Bonnie flopped back down. "Yeah, I guess. I just could have sworn I heard someone talking to me before the ambulance came."

"Maybe you had a guardian angel looking out for you." Her mother smiled.

Bonnie looked at her ceiling. "Maybe."

Her mother turned to go. She didn't mention to her daughter what the police reported to her that morning. There had been a 911 phone call made from Bonnie's cell phone before she called her mother. The voice on the call was very faint, but definitely male.

Her mother left the room and Bonnie settled back with a sigh. It was a long night and both she and her mother were exhausted. She closed her eyes, letting out another deep breath. Bed never felt so good.

Above her on the shelf, Jessie was purposefully letting herself slide off it. Woody didn't notice until it was too late to catch her. He scrambled to grab Jessie's arm, but she was already gone.

Bonnie's eyes popped open when something light fell on her chest. She picked up the thin doll with her good arm.

"Oh, hey there cowgirl. Is that shelf not big enough for those long legs of yours?" She ran a finger over Jessie's face and adjusted her hat. "I almost went to that big rodeo in the sky last night, partner. It wasn't cool."

She looked back up at the shelf. It was too high up to bother putting Jesse back up there when she was aching all over. And the pain medication was making her sleepy. It must have also been the medication making her talk to her cowgirl doll. She hadn't spoken to her toys since she was little. But today, Bonnie decided she was allowed to act as young as she wanted.

"Well, it looks like you're not getting back up there any time soon. How about you take a break from the round up and take a nap with me?"

It didn't take long for Bonnie to drift off, Jessie snuggled next to her. When he was sure she was asleep, Woody dared to peer over the edge of the shelf. He got a better look at Bonnie's injuries, immediately feeling sorry for the poor girl. How close did they come to her never coming back again?

Jessie was also taking the opportunity to look her over, one small hand on Bonnie's bandaged cheek. The expression on Jessie's face told she was thinking the same thing. She glanced up at Woody and gave a hopeful smile. Bonnie would be okay. Jessie settled in and shared the bed with Bonnie for the first time in years, well aware of what a rare moment she had and how it might be her last.

* * *

It was dark out and Bonnie was still sleeping. Her father's car pulled into the driveway and a few moments later, he knocked on her open door.

"Hey kiddo, how you feeling? You up for dinner?"

Bonnie stirred and then painfully sat up. "Oh man, I'm starving. I could eat anything."

Her dad flipped on the light when he saw she was now awake. "That's good, Mom made a lot of food just for you. And I went down to the car salvage. I'm afraid it's totaled, but they found your purse." He tossed the small, black bag in her lap.

"Oh great," Bonnie said as she attempted to unzip it with one hand. "And my cell phone?"

"I'm afraid not, Bon. But we'll get you a new one. Don't worry about it." He nodded towards her purse. "They found that clear in the back. It's a good thing you had your phone on you, or else you would have never been able to get to it with that broken arm."

Bonnie paused and looked at him quizzically. Her father didn't seem to notice.  
"I'll see you at dinner," he called as he left.

Bonnie looked down at her purse, confused. "But I always keep my cell phone in my purse," she mumbled to herself.

Bonnie fiddled around until she was able to get her bag unzipped, then she rooted around inside. No cell phone. But she did find something unexpected.

"What the..?"

She pulled out a Buzz Lightyear action figure smudged in dried blood- her blood. Bonnie looked him over from all different angles, utterly perplexed by his presence. Then she checked the rest of the contents, dumping them out onto the bed. Nothing else, not even the inside of her bag had any blood on it. From her sealed purse, only the space toy was soiled. What was going on?

Bonnie picked up Buzz again, looking him over once more and then scrutinizing his plastic expression.

_Stay with me, cadet!_

A realization covered Bonnie's face for the mere fraction of a second.

"Bonnie! Are you still hungry? Food is ready," her mom called.

"Coming!" Bonnie instantly replied. She slid off the bed, giving Buzz one last suspicious look before leaving him on the bedspread and stepping out of the room.

Buzz came to life as he watched her leave. He couldn't help but smile at her confused expression. He was glad to see that, despite her injuries, she seemed okay. It was a rescue mission well done.

"Buzz! You came back!"

He turned around to see Dolly, walking across the bed towards him.

"Well, look at you. You appear to have had an interesting time."

Buzz instantly took on his usual hero pose, hands on hips. "Nothing a trained Space Ranger as myself could not handle, ma'am."

His posture fell when he saw Jessie walk up behind the shorter doll, a strange expression on her face. She was playing with her hair, as she often did when she was nervous. She looked so sad and lost, Buzz would have done anything in the world to bring back her smile again.

"Jessie..."

She walked up to him, her voice sounding so small. "I didn't think I would ever see you again."  
He smiled at her. "I don't have plans on going anywhere without you."

That seemed to do it. Jessie sniffed and then suddenly, she was hugging him, bawling openly on his shoulder. Buzz, unused to such displays, patted her back awkwardly, trying to find the words to say.

"It's okay, Jessie... it's... you don't need to cry like that..."

He looked up and noticed an amused Woody sitting high on the shelf. Buzz shrugged at the predicament he had found himself in.

Woody tipped his hat to him.

"It's good to have you back, partner."

* * *

After dinner, Bonnie wandered back into her room to continue to relax. She found her Buzz Lightyear action figure, which she had been thinking about all through dinner, next to her cowgirl doll. Strange, she didn't recall leaving either one in that position. Must be the medication, she decided to herself.

"Well," she said out loud as she reached for Buzz. "You certainly surprised me. I thought I sent you off to day care. What brings you back here?"

She picked him up and his elbow joint caught on a thread from Jessie's sleeve, lifting them both up together. Bonnie eyed the pair thoughtfully.

"Oh, I see. Like those cowgirls, do you? I can respect that." She carefully untangled Jessie and looked Buzz over again. "Well let's go clean you up then. Certainly can't go on a date looking like that."

Bonnie smiled as she took the action figure into the bathroom for a rinse. For a moment she was young again and her toys were the only friends she needed to feel loved and cared for as she played.

Indeed, this toy in particular, made her feel like she had a friend today.

* * *

A week later, Bonnie's face wasn't so severely bandaged, but she still had to wear a cast on her arm for a few more weeks. Still, that didn't deter her from attempting to play her guitar. That usually got her mother after her, just like today.

"Bonnie, you need to give your hand a rest. You're not letting it heal properly," she admonished as she poked her head in.

Shawn was sitting on her bed while she was at her desk, strumming away.

"It's fine, mom, really. It doesn't hurt at all."

"You just take it easy, young lady," her mother added with tolerance. "Oh, and here's some mail for you."

She handed her daughter an envelope, to which Bonnie eagerly opened it and pulled out a sheet of stickers.

"What are those?" Shawn asked.

"Buzz's new stickers!" she said excitedly as she grabbed her action figure.

Shawn gave her a dubious look. "What is it with you and that stupid toy all of a sudden? First he's all over your Facebook page and now new stickers?"

"Trust me, he's earned these stickers," Bonnie insisted.

Shawn sighed. "You should at least get a new one. They're dirt cheap. Not one owned by some Andy kid who wrote his name on it. Look at it. It's so old."

Bonnie ignored the comment and aimed Buzz's arm at Shawn, pressing the button for his laser. "Peyow! Peyow!"

"Fine," Shawn huffed. "Be five years old with some ugly toy."

Bonnie turned Buzz towards her, inspecting his face. "I dunno. I think astronauts are kind of hot."

"Oh yeah? I thought you were into cowboys." Shawn nodded towards the old cowboy toys on her shelf.

Bonnie grinned. "A girl's allowed to change her opinion every now and then."


End file.
